Photographers' Rights

Interesting post and discussion on BoingBoing about the rights of photographers.

While I do not condone being rude or uncivil to people working with the public, when propaganda and misinformation are all that guide these workers the result is upsetting and sometimes scary. This is a real dilemma for me considering my husbands profession and our take on "public" space, but the real issue is more about where baby steps like these take us. I appreciate the efforts made to thwart terrorism and the fact that (for now) our country is safe, but at what cost?

I'm interested to see some "real" development of these issues.

Also, I've had requests for pictures, but (if you can believe it) I don't have a camera in working order right now. As soon as this problem is remedied I will post more pictures than you can stand.

[edited to add - Pictures are up now... hurrah!]

For the love of Laundry

During our move to the Commonwealth, my dryer was pummeled to death by a coat rack, and the parts to fix my convenience machine were much too much to consider. So I did what I could to get my clothes dry hanging them all over the bathroom and kitchen on whatever I could find or (more often) taking my wet loads to Chad and Meredith's. I didn't feel opposed to line drying, but it was the dead of winter and having my clothes frozen instead of dried was a real possibility.

Then out came the sun. The first time I hung my clothes outside there was a fear: "What will the neighbors think?" and then a defiance: "Isn't this why we have modern appliances?" I felt poor and stupid. I wasn't getting the "air dried" smell that people talk about (I was using a heavily perfumed detergent that smelled like bubble-gum breath when not dried in the machine). My back was hurting from the bending over and I couldn't keep up with the 5 clothes pins that I owned. Was this really worth the effort? Did it matter?

After I noticed a difference in our Electricity bill, I found it did matter that we were broke and in no position to pay more than minimums on utilities. Maybe NOT running that go-juice guzzling, extra-large capacity machine was worth it. I decided to make the investment in more clothes pins and some line (I opted for Weed Eater line because it's easy to wipe down and keep clean) and for under $5 I was on my way.

I was able to hang the new line without hooks thanks to the supports on our covered porch. I felt rather self sufficient as I hung my clothes out for the first time with the real tools of the trade. I sat outside watching t-shirts blowing in the wind and they were done in 2 hours. Something switched on. It was perfect. Suddenly I knew there was no other way I'd be doing it.

I researched traditional laundry boosters, soaps, methods and helps. In one of my favorite books Martha mentions several alternatives to conventional laundering. There's a whole slew of resourses out there to make your laundry experience more simple.

To make things a little more convenient here, I made a clothes pin holder that hangs on the line. I'm also in the works with Justin on constructing a rolling hamper basket that eliminates some of the the bending over. I've since settled on a detergent: Simplicity . It has the cleanest smell and is "cleaner" than leading brands.

So, a daughter of convenience takes a step back and falls in love with a slower process. Sounds like my life every day. Discovering forgotten ways, incorporating the tranquility of simplicity.

"Buy fifty feet of clothesline and a $3 bag of clothespins and become a solar energy pioneer." - Bill McKibben, Prairie Writers Circle